2021 was Emmerdale's 50th year. Production was overseen by producers Kate Brooks and Laura Shaw and executive producer Jane Hudson.

Major storylines included psychopath Meena Jutla's murdering spree that ended the lives of Leanna Cavanagh, Andrea Tate and Ben Tucker, Paul Ashdale's death in an explosion caused by Jimmy King and the fallout of his abuse of his son Vinny Dingle, Gabby Thomas falling pregnant with Jamie Tate's baby, Jamie poisoning his mother Kim in a whodunnit plot, Al Chapman's plan to sabotage The Woolpack in order to turn it into a block of flats, Jimmy and Nicola King's battle with Juliette Holliday over the custody of their son Carl, Liv Flaherty's alcoholism, the disastrous survival challenge in October, Sarah Sugden getting to know the sister of her heart donor and Tracy Metcalfe suffering from postnatal depression.